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WRC: Rally notes from around the world

Francois Delecour speeds around Monte Carlo. The famed driver is hoping to do a few more rally events with his current car. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Jean Todt, president of world motorsports governing body the FIA, has said that a new promoter for the World Rally Championship will be in place for Rally Sweden in two weeks.

“I am very confident to share some good news with you before then,” he told journalists at a press conference during the Monte Carlo Rally.

He confirmed that discussions were ongoing with Eurosport Events, the owner of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, but dismissed any speculation that the IRC and the WRC could join forces, pointing out that “they are two separate series.”

Ogier reflects on crash

Sébastien Ogier has described the accident that put him out of the Monte Carlo Rally last week as the biggest of his career.

Ogier was in sixth overall, having run as high as fourth in his Super 2000-specification Skoda Fabia when he crashed at an estimated 100 mph on day two's final stage. Both Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia were taken to a hospital in Valence for precautionary checks. Ingrassia reported bruising to an arm.

“That was the biggest accident of my career; we were lucky that it wasn't worse,” said Ogier, who is tackling all 13 rounds of this year's WRC in tandem with developing Volkswagen's new Polo R WRC ahead of its debut in 2013.

“I really felt at home in the car. Our speed was very good. The difficult conditions were perfect for us, as we could almost keep pace with the WRC category.”

Delecour eyes additional events

Monte Carlo legend Francois Delecour is hoping to do “two or three” more events at the wheel of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC, with backing from the Romanian government, after finishing sixth on his return to WRC competition.

“I'm really enjoying myself; so far it's been a fantastic experience,” the Frenchman said. “But I'd like to do two or three more events; it's very hard to get the most out of the car when you just do one rally a year. Our kind backers from Romania seem pleased with the exposure that they are getting, so I hope I can persuade them. I would like that very much.”

Delecour was instantly competitive on his return, setting a second-fastest stage time.

Savignoni gets wheel time before retirement

Delecour also attracted plenty of publicity by putting his co-driver, Dominique Savignoni--who was retiring after Monte Carlo--in the driver's seat for the final five-kilometer stage.

He said, “This is something I really wanted to do for my friend Dominique. It's his last rally, and I wanted it to be as special as possible for him.”

Ford driver Petter Solberg received a suspended ban for next month's Rally Sweden after he was found to be speeding during the Monte Carlo Rally.

The Norwegian driver was caught doing 106 kph on Jan. 21 in an area where the speed limit is 50 kph. Solberg explained that he was accelerating while trying to pass a slower car but then braked immediately.

At a stewards' meeting following the Monte Carlo event, where Solberg finished third, it was decided that Solberg had breached article 151c of the FIA International Sporting Code, regarding “any act prejudicial to the interest of any competition or to the interest of motor sport generally.”

Along with the suspended ban—which would be imposed if Solberg is found to exceed the speed limit by 50 percent or more over the next six rallies—he was fined and was issued with a reprimand. The penalty applies only to Rally Sweden.

Last-minute go for Go Fast

Both Malcolm and Matthew Wilson say that they've never seen a more uncertain start to a World Rally Championship season for a Ford team, after the Go Fast Energy World Rally Team was officially confirmed just hours before the Monte Carlo Rally started.

The team, backed by the American energy-drink company, will now contest all rounds of the 2012 WRC schedule with Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg, who introduced the company to M-Sport, which runs the cars.

However, doubts about funding meant that neither Solberg nor Wilson were sure of taking the start with just minutes left before the ceremony in Valence. In the end, the situation was resolved at the 11th hour, with both Wilson and Solberg starting in their black and red Fiesta WRCs.

“I've never experienced anything quite like it,” Matthew Wilson said. “It's not been the ideal start to the rally as I really wasn't sure which way it was going to go. The main thing is that this is a fantastic opportunity for me, and now I'm just looking forward to the rest of the year.”

Wilson finished 11th overall in Monte Carlo.

Mäkinen calls Mikko Pajunen ‘next flying Finn'

Four-time world champion Tommi Mäkinen has tapped Mikko Pajunen as Finland's next big talent after he finished third on the recent Riihimaki Rally, the opening event of the country's national championship.

Pajunen, the top two-wheel-drive finisher in the Production Car World Rally Championship section of Rally Finland last season, was making his debut in a Tommi Mäkinen Racing-run Subaru Impreza R4. Kaj Lindstrom, Kimi Räikkönen's former navigator, co-drove.

“For all of us, Mikko demonstrated the thing we already knew, that he definitely is the next ‘flying' Finn to enter the international rally arena,” Mäkinen said.

Following the Rovaniemi-based event, Pajunen is set to contest Rally Sweden, the second round of the World Rally Championship, Feb. 9-12.

Peugeot sells 100th copy of 207 Super 2000 car

Peugeot, winner of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge manufacturers' title from 2007 to 2009, has sold the 100th version of its 207 Super 2000 rally car.

Designed and developed by Peugeot Sport under the leadership of Bertrand Vallat, the car was used to claim three IRC drivers' crowns, several national and international titles and victories on individual events, including 23 in the IRC.

“It looks like I'm going to spend a lot of time in the cockpit this year, and that's a good thing too,” the 23-year-old said. “It's certainly the best for my development. I'm going to try and keep up with the best of them from the very start. My team, as well as my familiar rallying machine, the Skoda Fabia Super 2000, will help me in doing so. And with Klaus Wicha, a very experienced co-driver will be available to me. I can hardly wait for the season to finally kick off.”

Shorter Monte Carlo rally under consideration

This year's Monte Carlo Rally involved five days of competition, but event organizers said that they were considering a shorter format in 2013 to make the rally more affordable for privateers.

Rally winner Sébastien Loeb was one of many who said that he thought the current event was too long.

“I think five days is too much, both for the teams and the journalists,” Loeb said. “For the private drivers as well, such a long rally can be quite complicated.”